Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Marko
“Come on Gio, just come out with me. We can hit the town and maybe some fine ass while we're at it.”
Gio regarded me blankly. “What’s the point, Marko? We’ve been looking for someone to be ours since… Anyway,” he continued, “I don’t think it's going to happen, my friend, and the pussy here is as good as it gets. Why should I go and support another club’s business when I can feed my own?”
He had a point. I’d never shared that my search for Nicolette was still on, or that I believed in the prophecy Luciano Vitale had shared with Gio all those years ago. I knew in my heart she would be back, and that our time with Nicolette was far from over, but Gio had given up on that dream a long time ago.
He’d gone from being the most popular guy—carefree, fun-loving, and easygoing—to a hard man and probably the most stubborn of all the Vitale brothers. And that was saying something. He’d never lost anything, except her. Nicolette’s disappearance had taken a toll on my friend, one that I feared had permanently closed his heart to ever finding love.
For me, I’d felt the loss of Niki differently. I’d taken care of her, spanked her when she got out of line, fed her when she needed it, but mostly I made the daily running of her life smooth sailing. Gio had been the enforcer in our dynamic and her Master in the bedroom. Ultimately, he’d taken responsibility for our lives. His dominant nature didn’t allow argument and once he’d made up his mind about something, it rarely, if ever, changed.
He’d had the final say in how our dynamic worked and I was okay with that. I didn’t need to have all the control like he did. Had he lived in an earlier time, I had no doubt he would have made the best general the world had ever seen. He was fearless and bold with a confidence that men twice his age envied and were terrified of.
While I was still trying to decide whether to push Gio about going out, or to let it go, a buzz from my private cell alerted me to an incoming message. I had two phones, one that was highly encrypted and used for Vitale business, and one that was private, primarily for family and a very few close friends. I hesitated before opening it. When I saw who it was from, my eyes strayed to Gio. He was lost in his thoughts, watching a few of the women gyrating on the dance floor.
“I have to take this, excuse me.” I stood.
He waved, not even glancing my way.
Stalking toward the back door, I nodded at Tano who had just entered the club, then stepped outside and reread the message. My heart hammered in my chest, adrenaline pumping through my system.
I’m in trouble.
The contact information said it was from Nicolette, but it had been (how many) years. What the fuck?
I wanted to be her slightly jaded knight in shining armor and rescue her from whatever trouble she was in but… how did I know the person reaching out was really Nicolette and it wasn’t a trap of some kind?
How do I know this is you? I typed back.
Forget the fruit. Let’s discuss the meat.
The familiar inside joke—a line often repeated between the three of us—made my breath catch. It was her. Reaching out a shaking hand, I pressed the phone icon. Sweat seeped down my back making my dress shirt stick to my skin.
Get a grip, Marko, it’s just a girl!
But Nicolette wasn’t just any girl; she was the girl. Much to our mutual regret, the one who’d gotten away.
Regardless, I steeled my voice so as not to give away how much she still affected me.
“Marko,” she answered. “I—uh, have a lot of explaining to do, I know. And I will, but I’m in danger and I need you."
My heartbeat ramped up a few notches as I fought to control my need to protect her, and the simultaneous urge to tell her to go fuck herself.
“And you’re reaching out to me? Why? Surely you have a man in your life who can help, or why not just call the cops?”
“I’ve been violated, and I need help escaping.”
Her words hit me hard, but the fear in her voice hit me harder. An image of some asshole taking her against her will while she struggled to get away propelled my protective nature into overdrive.
“What the fuck? Jesus, woman, why didn’t you say so? Tell me where you are, I’m on my way.”
In a voice choked with tears, she told me her address. I raced for my vehicle and before leaving, cast a look back at the club. Would Gio forgive me for not letting him know?
Firming my resolve, I tore out of the parking lot and headed for New York. Images from the past played through my mind in a loop during the long drive.
Niki leaning back against Gio, her legs spread wide while I lapped up her honey, while his hands gripped her breasts as he tortured her nipples and his mouth on hers, swallowing her moans.
Us breaking into her apartment and waiting for her father to arrive to teach him a lesson. She’d come to school wearing his bruises and we had every intention of giving some back. That was a turning point in our relationship with Nicolette. Gio took over Nicolette’s life, and she fell under the protection of the Vitale family. If her father had so much as lifted a finger in her direction, he'd have been terminated, and Niki would be placed in care with another family loyal to the Vitales.
As it was, Gio beat the guy to within an inch of his life. “No one touches what’s mine, and Nicolette belongs to me.” He’d punctuated the statement by breaking her father’s nose.
Her father never touched her again, but from then on, our relationship morphed. One of us was always available to pick her up from school and take her home at the end of the day. We’d intervene when things were not running smoothly for her and make sure she ate and took care of herself. As things progressed, more of her time was spent at the Vitale estate. Being the only one with a steady girlfriend at the time, Gio was given almost exclusive use of the pool house and that was where the three of us explored everything together.
Gio hadn’t stepped foot in there since she left us waiting for her after the championship game. I glanced down at the ring still on my finger. The band was comforting, reminding me of our connection, and a time when we were all a bit more innocent.
Maybe that was pushing it. I was pretty sure neither Gio or I should ever be described as innocent, but our time with her had been. Because Nicolette was pure. Not her body, we did every dirty thing together you could possibly imagine and then some. But her soul and heart… those were pure, unsullied.
My hands gripped the wheel. What had our years apart done to her? Would she still be intact? Her mind and heart certainly wouldn’t be. I’d heard the break in her voice, the utter devastation when she shared her news with me.
I would kill the fucker when I found him. Scratch that. I would torture the SOB and have Gio’s brother, a top-notch surgeon, keep the guy alive so I could torment him over and over, bringing him from the brink of death only to have him live with more pain and suffering until my vengeance was complete.
When I entered the neighborhood of the address she’d given me, I slowed down, looking for anyone that appeared suspicious. Parking along the side of the building, I scanned the area but saw nothing that raised a red flag.
I moved up the steps and punched in the code she sent.
“It’s me,” I said when she answered the intercom.
I hesitated outside the third-floor apartment. I didn’t want to alert anyone that may be watching her to my presence, or scare her with the level of anger I was feeling, having to bury that deep inside and prepare for whatever sight met my eyes.
Sighing, I lifted my hand to knock as she opened the door. My upraised hand hung midair as I took her in. Was it possible that she was even smaller than in school? She was so tiny and bone-thin.
Don’t freak, just breathe.
Her haunted eyes took me in, rounding slightly as they traveled up, down and back up again. Her mouth worked to speak but no words came out. She held my gaze and a tear tracked down her cheek.
“You’re even bigger than before.” She attempted a chuckle that fell flat, turning into a sob.
I pulled her against me and scooped her up into my arms. Gently cradling her, I crossed the threshold into her apartment.
She clung to me, her arms wrapped around my neck, soaking my shirt with her tears. I kicked the door shut, noting the flimsy locks. Anyone with bolt cutters or a nail file could break in. Scratch that, a good boot would have caved in that door. But there were no signs of the chain being cut and the wood was in fine shape.
I sat down on a well-worn couch with Niki in my lap, still clinging to me like her life depended on it. The apartment was very small, and I was able to see the entirety of it from our place on the couch. One wall was covered in photos, some framed, while larger ones were tacked at the corners like the posters we’d hung up in the pool house all those years ago.
A small bistro table boasting a vase of flowers in its center with two chairs tucked in on either side was all that separated the kitchen from the living space. The counters were clear. The fridge, humming loudly, sounded like it was on its last legs. The place was tidy, clean, and undisturbed. Maybe she wasn’t accosted here. I did tell her to go somewhere safe so her attack must have happened elsewhere.
I couldn’t speculate. I needed to know. “Nicolette, tell me what happened.”
She gripped me tighter and buried her face in my neck. I couldn’t help inhaling her scent. Even under the sweat and salt that had dried on her skin, I could detect the subtle notes of Rose, ylang-ylang and lillies. It was Sensual Youth , the perfume I’d bought her for the grad dance.
I wasn’t really a scent kind of guy, except when it came to her honeyed nectar, but when I’d gone looking for a gift and passed the perfume department, I noticed a gaggle of girls our age at the counter. After they left, I went over to see what the big deal was.
The sales lady had sprayed the perfume on a card, flapped it in the air a few times and then held it under my nose. I knew it would be perfect for Niki—The scent reminded me of her, so I bought it and gave it to her that night. When we picked her up in the limo for the dance, I sprayed some on her neck, wrists and decolletage.
“Mmm, it’s delicious, Daddy,” she’d said with a wink.
I smiled at the memory of her calling me Daddy. It had become a new thing with her as she said I made her feel safe and protected like a Daddy should. I had no problem with that as that was how I was wired, and still am.
Maybe the Daddy tone I’d used on her back in the day would have an effect on her.
“Nicolette. Sit up and look me in the eye and tell me what happened, now.”
“Do I have to?” came her muffled reply.
“If you don’t, you’ll be in the corner with a red ass, and trust me, I won’t hold back like I used to.”
She sat up and pouted, right on cue, crossing her arms. I was instantly transported to the last time she’d gotten in trouble with me, and I’d spanked her sexy bottom. It was as if no time had passed since we were last in this position.
“Don’t you give me attitude. I broke every traffic law getting to you as fast as I could. Now tell me what happened.”
She uncrossed her arms, a slight blush staining her cheeks. “Okay but before you get mad, I have a confession.”
Mad? I was already fuming.
She must have noticed the muscle in my jaw ticking because her confession was delivered without her taking a breath to pause.
“I don’t know what's going on. Someone’s trying to kill me, or maim me at least. It’s happened more than once, and always at the studio, but then today they broke in here. So, you see, I didn’t know what else to do, and the police were no help. All they wanted was a damn selfie! Poor Sergio keeps questioning the dancers and the staff, but no one has seen anything,” she finished, finally taking a deep breath.
I processed the information she’d shared and couldn’t hold back the flame of jealousy that licked my anger to a new level. “Sergio is…?”
I could see that my tone was making her nervous. Her tell was when her eyelashes fluttered quickly. Gio and I thought we’d rid her of that a long time ago, yet here it was.
“He’s the old man who runs the company I dance for,” she answered, a bit smugly.
I nodded. “And you’re sure it’s not him?”
Niki frowned, seemed to think about it, then nodded firmly. “It’s not Sergio. He adores me, and I trust him completely.”
“What about another performer? There is a lot of jealousy in your industry.”
A cute little frown formed between her brows. She was the same, although thinner. Niki was so slim that if she hadn’t been all muscle, I would have thought she suffered from anorexia. But I knew what ballet dancers existed on. We’d fought her on it constantly in the past.
Not long after coming to our school, Niki auditioned for the performing arts program. Gio and I had sat in the back of the auditions. He had a lot of pull for a student and no one could keep him out of a place if he wanted to be there. Niki had done a dance performance that had us both hard in our pants. She was so sexy, and still was, even as slim as she was now. She was in incredible shape and all I wanted to do was run my hands over every curve. To keep my fingers from touching her, I tapped them against my thigh.
“Tell me about the people that are at the studio when you are at rehearsal.” I moved her off my lap, and while she gave me the rundown, I looked around the living space for any clue the cops may have missed. I’d interrupt her from time to time with questions, more to keep her focused than anything else. She seemed to think no one at the studio could have done it but I wasn’t so sure.
“Why do you think the threat wasn’t from someone you worked with?”
She sighed and rubbed her thighs. “Because this is my last performance. I’m retiring after the show finishes its run. If this was a disgruntled dancer, they should be thrilled I’ll soon be out of their way.”
She had a point.
“Have you always lived here?”
“Oh gosh, no! For ages, I lived with three other dancers in a crowded flat. There was zero privacy there. A donor sponsored me and provided enough money annually for me to have my own flat, and transportation costs to and from work covered.”
“How long ago?”
“About eight months ago. Usually, we meet potential sponsors at galas after performances, but I’ve never met mine and have no idea who they are.”
That was probably the best place to start, although it made absolutely no sense. Why would someone reach out and assist a financially struggling ballerina, only to then make death threats? My search brought zero results, however. Whoever they were, I wasn’t ruling out that this was professional.
The flower scenarios had been going on for months and no one, not even security, had seen anything. Either they were Casper the Friendly Ghost, or this person had enough IT skills to make themselves vanish.
“Tell me you took a photo of the note.”
Niki handed me her phone and I scanned over the words, trying to keep a lid on my anger. I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was, but there was no way she could stay here alone, and I couldn’t stay here with her. I had clubs I was responsible for back home. Obligations that couldn’t be ignored. Whoever this person was, they were either so tightly wrapped in the company that no one would suspect them, or they were a professional. Despite wishing it was the former, my gut told me this was the work of someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
Regardless of this person's intention, I would ensure they never hurt my girl again.
My girl? I chastised myself. How could I look at her as mine when she’d left without a trace, breaking mine and Gio’s hearts? I would help her, but I would keep my heart under lock and key.
Niki absently worried at her lower lip with her teeth. It took me back to when she came to school with bruises on her body, and we’d confronted her. She’d done the same thing with her lip. I took her hands in mine with a gentleness I didn’t feel but knew I needed to offer her.
“Don’t worry, tesorina , I will protect you.”
She released her lip, her large eyes glazed over, as she gazed at me with an all-too-familiar hunger. How I wished we were meeting under different circumstances.
“I need you to pack everything you need for a few months.”
“Months!” she yelled in complete panic. “I have a show in six weeks, Marko! I can’t just leave!” She jumped to her feet and stomped through the limited space mumbling under her breath about making the wrong call and who does he think he is anyway?
I’d had enough, and whirled her around, holding her upper arms in a firm grip. “This isn’t some game, Niki! Someone wants you dead. Do you understand? Are you willing to die for your career? Because if you don’t take this threat seriously, that is exactly what’s going to happen.” I couldn't help giving her a little shake to emphasize the importance of my words.
Tears quickly filled her beautiful almond eyes and slid down her cheeks. “I don’t want to die, that's why I called you.”
I’d always hated seeing her cry and now was no different. I tugged her against me, and she buried her face against my diaphragm, clinging to me like her life depended on it.
“I know I don’t deserve your help, but please Marko, I need you.”
Mentally I went through several scenarios in my head that Gio would buy that would allow me to stay out of town for a bit. I had a well-vetted staff that were more than capable of keeping things running in my absence.
Niki continued to cling to me, her arms tightly around my waist while I rattled off a text to Gio.
Something has come up. I won’t be back tonight. I need a few days to sort things out.
Why?
He answered immediately, a total Gio move. Straight to the point.
A friend is in trouble and needs my help for a few days. Don’t worry, I’ll get a hold of Almando and have him fill in for me. Okay?
I almost held my breath while the dots appeared and disappeared on the screen. I couldn’t lie to Gio. Even though he was my best friend, he was also my boss, and lying to the boss wasn’t acceptable regardless of our closeness.
And suddenly I’m transported back to a moment I’ll never forget. The one where our friendship began…
It was grade two and Gio was on the small side; his growth spurt hadn’t happened until high school. Still, even then, he was very handsome, and garnered lots of attention from girls, which tended to piss off all the other boys.
His brothers were there, although I didn’t know it at the time as I was new to the school that year. They watched as the kids flung insults at Gio. I’d never been so impressed by a person. Even his young eyes were old, savage and I knew that he could handle himself… but it didn’t mean he had to. I stepped into the circle by his side. He looked me up and down and a chill shivered through me. He was so sure of himself, whereas I was almost ready to piss myself.
“Don’t worry, amico, you will be fine.”
Friend? And my first one at that. As the boys moved in, flinging their arms like little boys do, Gio tripped one and smacked another in the diaphragm. Both went down, leaving only three who, after looking at their fallen friends, ran away, presumably, to tell on us to a teacher.
His brothers congratulated him. The eldest, Romeo, clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations. The biggest one, another brother, Massimo, fist-pumped Gio. When a teacher and the principal arrived, they asked the kids what happened. Romeo was the first to speak.
“Nothing happened.”
Following his lead, the witnesses fell into line, and that was my first exposure to the power of the Vitale brothers, and the loyalty they inspired.
Should I be worried?
Gio’s text, when it came through, was simple.
He was my best friend and boss, and I’d never lied to him before, but I wasn’t ready to tell him about her. He’d be beyond pissed but I knew Niki wasn’t in the head space to deal with her life being threatened and a confrontation with Gio at the same time.
Not at all.
Okay. Keep me updated.
I will.
I let out a breath of relief, happy he hadn’t asked me which friend as he knew them all. With the green light, I began formulating a plan with only two objectives: ensure Niki was safe and gain intel on the asshole threatening her life.
“I’ll stay for a few days in New York and find your assailant, but I’m not staying here . This place is made for tiny people. Pack your stuff, enough for a few days at least, and let's go.”
Niki was frozen in place, gazing up at me as if trying to read my thoughts.
“Come, tesorina , I’ll help you,” I said, my tone gentler this time.
Her bedroom was so small I had to stand in the doorway to give her room to move around the cramped space. She pulled out a battered suitcase and a duffle and began examining every ribbon and shoe she tossed into the worn leather case. She added leotards and other items I assumed she needed for rehearsals until the bag was almost overflowing.
She opened her closet door, and seemed far less picky with her selection of everyday wear, which she didn't have much of. Christ! Back home I was used to women in expensive clothing, who expected me to lavish them with it, and not just clothing, but jewelry and nights on the town.
By comparison, Niki’s clothing was bargain-basement at best, but I had no doubts that whatever she wore would make her look like a million bucks. It was one of the things Gio and I had aways appreciated about her. She never had expensive taste, but Gio showered her in the best that money had to offer. I recognized a few items she added to her suitcase as being from him, making her better items aged and out of style.
Tomorrow, after rehearsal I would remedy her closet issue and take her for a steak dinner while we were out. She needed some meat on her bones, and the iron it provided. She was bone-thin and pale as a ghost. Surely dance didn’t require this of her.
When she’d first walked into the classroom and captured both mine and Gio’s hearts, we could tell she’d been neglected and malnourished despite her evident beauty and sexiness. The ghost of the girl I knew gazed up at me when she was done packing, hardening my resolve to get her to a better place.
Niki grabbed her purse and slid it onto her shoulder, turning off the lights and locking the door behind us. I took hold of her hand, and despite the circumstances that had separated us all these years, having her small hand in mine brought a flood of rightness pumping through my veins. She belonged to me, and to Gio, and I promised myself that soon, she’d remember that and things between us would be set right.